Just Like Bogus

by vigilanteshhhhhhhh


Chapter 4

Rainbow Dash should've known.

The second she saw Soarin's car parked right in front of her house, she should've known that something was not going to go right.

"What are you doing here?" she asked him when he rolled down his window seeing her.

He had one hand on the steering wheel and ran the other through his wild hair. It looked like a desperate attempt of him trying to show off, especially with the smirk he sent her. She wasn't impressed.

"Well?" She crossed her arms, patiently- although barely- waiting for an answer.

"Well, I came to pick you up," he said as if it was obvious.

"No shit," Rainbow muttered sarcastically. "But why?"

"Well, I thought, since we're going to be dating, we should do couple-y stuff," Soarin said.

Rainbow raised an eyebrow. "You're saying going to school together is couple-y? You used to give lifts to Vapour Trail all the time."

Soarin's ears turned red; he looked embarassed. He let out a small awkward cough. "Yeah... That I did... But," he shook off from his demeanor. "We need to hangout together so people can at least consider us being a couple is not impossible."

Rainbow held back her retort. "Why would they even question whether or not we're dating? I thought your plan was fool proof."

"My plan is fool proof," Soarin said. "But you're not."

Rainbow immediately took offence to that. "Hey! What's that supposed to mean!?"

Soarin gulped a bit intimidated. After all, Rainbow Dash was still the scariest girl in school fake girlfriend or not.

"I mean..." Soarin started, this time properly thinking of his word choices. "You don't date. So, people might just think it's weird you're dating me all of a sudden."

Rainbow nodded. Well, it was true. She had never even shown interest in any of the guys in her school or anywhere. Especially Soarin. This was going to be hard, she thought.

"You're right," she sighed, seeing reason behind his words.

"So, are you gonna get in?" he said.

"Fine." Although she was now willing obligate, it didn't mean she was happy with it. She liked to ride on her motorbike better.

She got in the car with a small huff. Soarin took note of it as they slowly began to drive off.

"Would you mind if I play some music?" he asked after a few minutes of awkward silence. Rainbow glanced at him who looked as uncomfortable as her.

With a small smile, she nodded. "Yeah, that'd be nice."

"Good," he said cheerfully. "I hope you like classical."

The smile on her face faltered as quickly as it was formed.

Rainbow Dash should've known.

After what seemed like hours of torture (it was barely a ten minute ride), they both reached school. Soarin insisted they should walk together to class, and Rainbow wasn't going to complain. She knew walking with him would be better since Zephyr was least likely to bother her around him.

When they got to the statue. Rainbow noticed a strange sight; she saw her band mates- except Fluttershy- were waiting for them. How did she guessed they were waiting specifically for them? Well, Rarity wasn't very subtle about it.

"And here is the happy couple! Oh, darlings, you two look absolutely like a match made in heaven!" Rarity exclaimed, clasping Rainbow's hands in hers. "Pinkie told us everything!"

Both Rainbow's and Soarin's faces went white. Rainbow decided to play it cool. "Uh... What do you mean by everything?"

"By everything she means Pinkie told us about how y'all are fake dating so that Zephyr will stop botherin' ya," Applejack said clearly not impressed nor amused.

Rainbow and Soarin both turned to Pinkie who gave them an apologetic look. "Pinkie..." Rainbow said with clenched teeth.

"I kept my promise to you; I didn't say a word to Fluttershy," Pinkie gave her a toothy smile.

Soarin sighed. He put a hand on Rainbow's shoulder. "Listen, there's nothing we can do about it. I trust your friends to keep this a secret. As long as they don't tell this to anyone else, it'll be fine."

Rainbow took a deep breath, calming herself down. "You're right." She turned to her friends. "Guys, you can't let anybody know about this, especially Fluttershy."

"Sugarcube, Ah know this is bothering but don't ya think tellin Fluttershy about this would be the better choice? Who knows? She might even find y'all a solution," Applejack said.

Rainbow wanted to believe it. But the only thought that came in her mind was what would be Fluttershy's reaction. Her friendship with Fluttershy was something that she wasn't willing to put in risk.

"I'm sorry, AJ," Rainbow looked down, unable to face the disappointment she knew she would see in her friend's eyes. "I cannot lose my friendship with her. Until, Zephyr backs down, I decided to fake date Soarin."

Twilight looked at Rainbow and Soarin curiously. Debating to herself if she should speak or not, she cleared her throat. "Um... So since you two are fake dating, do you have any rules?"

Rainbow and Soarin exchanged a look. "Rules?"

Twilight adjusted her glasses. She looked almost as shy as the caregiver from their group when she spoke again. "Well... Um... You're fake dating... So, uh... Shouldn't you have rules so that you won't accidentally cross the other person's boundaries?"

Rainbow's eyes immediately fell on Soarin who was intensely thinking about something.

"She's right," Soarin said.

"It's Twilight; she's 9/10 times right," Pinkie said.

Twilight raised an eyebrow. "When was I ever wrong?"

"When you said candy isn't healthy," Pinkie huffed.

"But it isn't-"

"Or when you told me radical and awesome means the same thing," Rainbow contributed.

"But it is," Twilight said.

"No, it's not," Soarin countered.

"Thank you!" Rainbow exclaimed. "But yeah, I get the point. Me and him should definitely have some rules like no sappy stuff."

"And no falling in love," Soarin stated.

"That never ages well," Sunset whispered into Rarity's ear.

"They'll figure something out on their own, darling," Rarity chimed.

Twilight slowly raised her hand.

"Yes, Twi?" Rainbow said. She sometimes wished Twilight would stop acting like everything is a class.

"Oh, I was just wondering... You have only made rules on stuff you don't want to do. But if you don't do anything sappy, how will they believe you're a couple?"

"She's right... Again," Pinkie said.

"I'm always right," Twilight crossed her arms.

"But you said candy isn't healthy," she pointed out.

"But it really isn't-"

"And you said awesome and cool-"

"Okay okay, we get it," Soarin groaned. He took a deep breath. "We need to do believable stuff that couples do. Any ideas?"

"Ooh! Ooh! How about nicknames?" Pinkie grinned.

Soarin considered the idea. Nicknames wasn't that bad of an idea. He looked at Rainbow Dash for a second.

With his intense gaze on her. Rainbow couldn't help but feel conscious. "W-What?" she blushed.

"I think I will call you 'Sunshine'," he said.

"That's absolutely adorable!" Rarity squealed. The other members of the rainbooms giggled along.

Rainbow Dash gagged. "Yuck. Don't expect me to call you anything like that."

"Actually, I wasn't," Soarin said. "It'll feel unnatural for you to call me nicknames. A simple 'Babe' will be fine."

Rainbow wanted to refuse that too, but there was no choice given the arrangement. At least 'Babe' wasn't anything humiliating. "Babe is fine."

Soarin nodded at that, a bit relieved, and turned back to her friends. "Okay, do you guys have any more tips to make us more believable?" Soarin asked.

"Yeah," Rainbow agreed. "Even I don't think just calling each other nicknames would cut it."

"Physical touch can help," Sunset said. "Like, holding hands, if you're trying to keep simple."

"Are you okay with that, Rainbow Dash?" Soarin asked.

"I think," she mumbled.

"And if that's a bit awkward for you two, you can try simple gestures," Twilight added. "You can walk her to class, carry her books-"

"And darling, be a gentleman around her," Rarity contributed. "Buy her presents. Having your lockscreen be a picture of her or you two together also works. I'm talking to you too, Rainbow darling."

Rainbow rolled her eyes. "I don't think even if he's my real boyfriend, I will never replace my lockscreen." The photo on her lockscreen was something she took great pride in. Just last year, she was able to have a small part, with her friends, in the Daring Do movie. She had taken a picture with the lead actress and ever since then this had been her lockscreen picture.

"Ah still think y'all should just tell Fluttershy," Applejack said. "Dash, it might be hard-"

"Ooh! Ooh!" Pinkie said interrupting Applejack in the process. "You know what'll let everyone know you two are dating without saying a word!?"

Soarin and Rainbow looked at the hyper party planner curiously. "What's that?" Rainbow asked. Even her bandmates were interested to know.

"Just get matching hickies!"

Rainbow Dash should've known.